KARACHI: The leadership of Businessmen Group and Office Bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, while strongly condemning the republication of blasphemous caricatures in France and the Islamophobic remarks of French President Emmanuel Macron, said that the French President had hurt sentiments of billions of Muslims around the world including Pakistan which would fan hatred, hostility and confrontation.
In a statement issued, Chairman BMG & Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, Vice Chairmen BMG Tahir Khaliq, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki & Anjum Nisar, General Secretary BMG AQ Khalil, President KCCI Shariq Vohra, Senior Vice President Saqib Goodluck and Vice President Shamsul Islam pointed out that freedom of expression must not allow anyone to attack or hurt public sentiments or religious beliefs and trigger inter-religious hatred. KCCI strongly rejects any attempt to link Islam with terrorism, and condemns the offensive cartoons of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).
They said that the business & industrial community of Karachi fully appreciates Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stand over the issue and also the resolutions passed unanimously in the Senate and the National Assembly in which the lawmakers have urged to recall Pakistan’s ambassador in Paris in protest.
BMG Leadership & KCCI Office Bearers urged the International Community must come forward to play its due role in preventing such actions and France must apologize to the Muslim world as no Muslim can tolerate profanity against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) whose sanctity was important to the Muslims more than their lives.